Embossed linoleum and the like



May 23, 1933.

A. M. GEORGE ET AL EMBOSSED LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 20, 1928' 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Maw 23, 1933.

A. M. GEORGE ET AL 0,894

EMBOSSED LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 23, 1933 A a UNITED STATES ARTHUR H. GEORGE AND WALTER- F, KAUFMAN, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA,

PATENT I OFFICE ABSIGNOBS 'I'O ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA .EnrBossEn LINOLEUM AND-THE LIKE Application filed November 20, 1928. Serial No. 320,658.

'This'invention relates to a method and apparatus for embossing linoleum and similar goods, and is particularly useful for embossin straight line linoleum.

eretofore it has been considered impossible to emboss straight line linoleum since it does not have the open porous structure of molded linoleum. The straight line material is worked and compressed to such an extent that it has been universally'believed that any attempt to emboss its surface would result in a flowing of materialsidewise to distort thepattern. We have found that this sidewise flowing does not occur to any appreciable extent and we provide a rapid and simple means for embossing the straight line material as it moves in a continuous sheet from an inlay machine.

Heretofore patterned linoleum has been embossed by means of flat plates, there being no rotary embossing machines in use which gave the necessary highly accurate registration between the linoleum patternand the embossed pattern. a

While sidewise flow is, as above stated, inappreciable in amount, there is a certain amount of lengthwise flow or creeping for which compensation must be made. We provide means for changing the phase relation between the embossing roll and a platen roll over which the material passes, thus taking care of the flowing and creeping. We fur ther provide means, preferably manually 'controlled, for changing the angular relationship between the platen roll and the embossing roll so as to secure the desired registration. We prefer to so guide the embossed goods that it is in plain view of an operator who may adjust the machine as required.

being guided by the appearance of the ma:

terial as it travels before him.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrat-. ing the present preferred embodiment of our invention and one modification thereof,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an embossing unit embodying our'invention,

Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly broken away, showing the platen roll and the embosslng roll and the adjusting mechanism,

Figure 3 is a view to enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 2, but showing a modified apparatus. Referring first toFigure 1, there is shown a strip S of patterned inlaid linoleum com- 1ng from an inlaying machine, not shown, to a calender. The calender comprises a calender roll 2 having cooperating small rolls 3 for pressing the material against the calender roll. A rubber blanket 4 passes around guide rolls 5 and lies between the material S and the small rolls 3. The linoleum is thus pressed-and calendered, and given a finishing pressing as it moves forward.

. From the calender the material moves to an adjusting rollfi and thence extends downlaterally adjustable so as to control the lat-- eral path of the goods. A floating roll 7 liesv in the loop L and rises and falls as the relae. tive speed of the two adjusting rolls 6 and 6A is varied.

Afterthe linoleum passes over the adjusting roll 6A it is carried around a plush covered guide roll 8 cooperating with'a platen roll 9. The material extends around a material portion of the periphery of the platen roll 9 and then passes around a second plush covered roll 8A. An embossing'roll 10 is mounted adjacent the platen roll 9 and has a ribbed or embossed pattern (see Figure 2) for imparting the desired embossing eil'ect to the linoleum. The linoleum is embossed as it passes around the platen roll.

After the embossed linoleum leaves the plush covered roll 8A it passes over a .card roll 11 and then falls in a loop L. A floating roll 12 lies in this loop. The outer bight of the loop extends upwardly to a discharge roll 13. The straight vertical path from the floating roll 12 to the discharge roll 13 serves as a large inspection area whereby the operator may determine whether the embossing is proceeding satisfactorily.

The platen roll 9 is driven through gearing, indicated diagrammatically at 14 in Figure 1, from an electric motor 15. The drum shaft is indicated at 21. Current is supplied through line wires 16 leading to a control box 17. Limit switches 18 having arms 19 are located adjacent the loop L so that if the loop becomes too long the bottom limit switch is actuated, or if it becomes too short the top limit switch is actuated. The floating roll 7 carries a hub 20-which engages the switch arms. Any movement of the floating roll 7 in a vertical direction is very slow and the limit switches 18 and the control box 17 are designed so as to effect a relatively slight change in the speed of the motor 15. If the loop L becomes too long the motor is slightly speeded up and continues at the higher speed until the top limit switch is engaged, whereupon its speed is slightly reduced.

The plush covered rolls 8 and 8A and the card roll 11 are connected to the platen roll 9 through gearing, not shown, so that all of these rolls operate at the same peripheral speed. I

The platen roll 9 is mounted on the shaft 21 and carries a gear 22 meshing with a gear 23. The gear 23 is rotatable on a sleeve 24,

which sleeve is keyed to a shaft 25 carrying.

the embossing roll 10. The shafts 21 and 25 rotate in a frame member F.

The gear 23 is connected to a worm wheel 26 by bolts 27 so that the worm wheel is fixed to the shaft gear 23, but is free to rotate on the sleeve 24. A ring 28 bolted to the end of the sleeve 24 restrains the worm wheel and the gear against endwise'movement.

The sleeve 24 which, as above stated, is

. keyed to the shaft 25, has an arm'29 formed at its outer end. Bracket extensions 30 (see Figure 3) are secured to the arm 29. The bracket extensions 30 carry a shaft 31 to which is keyed a worm 32 meshing with the worm wheel 26. It will be seen that so long as the worm32 is held against rotation, the gear 23, as it rotates, must carry the arm and sleeve with it. In other words, there is no relative rotation between the gear 23 and the shaft 25 under these conditions.

The arm 29 carries a short shaft 33 which is connected to the shaft 31 by miter gears 34 and, as hereinafter explained, the shaft 33 is arranged to be driven whereby the worm 32 may be rotated, thus effecting relative movement between the gear 23 and the shaft 25. The platen r0119 and the embossing roll 10 are both driven from the shaft 21, as above described, the shafts 21 and 25 being connected by the gears 22 and 23. These gears have a ratio of pitch diameters corresponding to the ratio of diameters of the platen roll 9 and the embossing roll 10 (taking into account the thickness'of the linoleum).

In order to" secure registration of the embossing pattern with the linoleum pattern, and to compensate for flowing or creeping of the linoleum, and for any errors in the ratio of the gears, as might result, for example, from working on linoleums of different thickness, provision is made for rotating the worm 32 in one direction or the other, thus imposing on the base speed imparted by the gear 33 a modifying speed. If this modifying speed is imposed continuously it results in the platen roll and the embossing roll moving continuously at different peripheral speeds, and this may be desired in varying amounts, depending on the amount of flowing or creeping which takes place. If the modifying speed is imposed for only a short time, it has the effect of changing the registration between the pattern on the embossing roll and the pattern on the linoleum.

. If the platen roll and the embossing roll are driven at different speeds, registrationmay be effected by varying the amount of the modifying speed applied for a requisite period of time.

In order to impose this modifying speed, provision is made for driving the shaft 33 from a motor 35. This motor is connected through gearing 35a to a sprocket 36, which sprocket is connected through a chain 37- to a sprocket 38. The sprocket 38 is keyed to a sleeve 39 rotatably mounted on the shaft 25. The sleeve 39 carries a second sprocket 40 which is connected through a chain 41 to a sprocket 42 on the shaft 33. A rheostat 43 is provided for adjusting the speed of the motor 35.

Assuming that it is desired to rotate the embossing roll at its base speed, the motor 35 is driven at such speed that the sleeve 39 rotates at exactly the same speed as the shaft 25. In this case no rotation of the shaft 33 results and the shaft 25 rotates at exactly the same speed as the gear 23. If, however, the speed of the motor 35 is increased or decreased, the shaft 33 is caused to rotate and the arm 29 and sleeve 24 therefore move relative to the gear 26, thus imposing on the base speed the desired modified speed. If it is desired to merely change the registration of the embossing roll relative to the material, the speed of the motor 35 is increased or decreased for such short period of time as is necessary to effect the desired registration. If creeping or flowing is encountered the motor 35 may be driven constantly at a speed slightly above or below the speed required to cause the sleeve39 to rotate at the speed of the shaft 25. In this latter case, registration is eifected by additionally increasing or decreasing the speed of the motor 35 over a short time period.

In certain cases it may be possible to determine by experiment the amount of flowing or creeping which is to be experienced, and to compensate for this by adjusting the ratio of the platen roll and the embossing roll relative to the ratio of, the gears 22 and 23. In such case a simpler registering mechanism may be employed. Such a mechanism is shown in Figure 4. In this drawing parts corresponding to similar parts in Figures 1 to 3 have been given the same reference character with L an a suflixed thereto.

In this form of the invention'the gear 230: is keyed toa shaft, 44 coaxial with the shaft 25a. The worm wheel 26a is keyed to the shaft 25a but overhangs the same so that the left hand end of the shaft 44, as viewed in Figure 4, finds a bearing in the hub of the worm wheel 26a. The right hand end of the shaft 44 is carried in a bearing 45." A bevel gear 46 is also keyed to the shaft 44 and rotates therewith. The teeth of. the bevel gear 46 mesh with pinions 47 carried on stub shafts 48 in a fixed frame 49. The teeth of the pinions 47 in turn mesh with bevel teeth formed on one side of a double faced bevel gear 50. The gear 50 is carried by the shaft 44 but is not keyed thereto. By reason of its connection to the bevel gear 46 through the pinions 47, it rotates at the same speed as the shaft 44, but in the opposite direction.

The teeth on the second gear face of the gear 50 mesh with bevel pinions 51 carried on pins 52 mounted in a ring 53. The'ring 53 is rotatable in the frame 49 but has worm teeth 54 formed in its outer face, these teeth meshing with a worm 55 journaled in the frame 49. A hand wheel, indicated in dotted lines at 56 in Figure 4, is secured to the shaft of the worm 55 so that the ring 53 may be rotated by hand to any desired position. The worm and wheel constitute an irreversible connection and the ring 53 is stationary except during a period of adjustment.

Assuming that the ring 53 is held stationary, the pinions 51 will be rotated-at the same speed as the pinions 47, but in. the opposite sense. The teeth of the pinions 51 mesh with the. teeth of a bevel gear 57 which is mounted on the shaft44, but not keyed thereto. By reason of this connection the gear 57 rotates at exactly the same speed as the shaft 44, and in the same direction, so long as the ring 53 is held stationary. The sprocket 40a is secured to the hub of the gear 57 and is connected through a sprocket 41a to a sprocket 42a on the shaft 33a. The arm 29a'is keyed to the shaft 44 and rotates therewith. So long as the ring 53 is maintained stationary the sprocket 40a rotates at the same speed as the shaft 44 and therefore no adjustment of the worm wheel 26a and the worm 32a is effected. If, however, the hand wheel 56 is rotated the ring 53 will be moved, thus advancing or retarding the sprocket 40a rela-' tive to the shaft 44, and thereby advancing or retarding the shaft 25a relative to the shaft 44. With the mechanism above described, the adjustment can be carried out while the machine is in operation.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 2 the rheostat 43 is placed in such position that the operator may have a clear roll 15 to the roll 13.

view of the material as it passes from the In the form of invention illustrated in it Figure 4, the hand wheel 56 is similarly placed.

' We have illustrated and described the preferred form of our invention. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the form shown, as it may be otherwise embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims:

. We claim H 1. An embossing machine for linoleum or the like, comprising a platen roll, an embossing roll, a' driving gear for the embossing roll, connections between the driving gear and the embossing roll,'including an adjusting gear, the adjusting gear being effective for varying the angular relationship between the driving gear and the embossing roll, and means for actuating the adjusting gear.

2. An embossing machine for linoleum or the like,-comprising a platen roll, an em bossing roll, a driving gear for the em bossing roll, connections between the driving gear and the embossing roll, including a worm wheel so arranged that movement thereof is effective for varying the angular relationship between the gear and the embossing roll, and a worm for actuating the worm wheel.

In the method of embossing patterned linoleum and the like with a platen roll and a patterned embossing roll, the steps consisting in rotating the platen roll' so as to move the material being embossed at a desired linear speed, maintaining the embossing roll in embossing relation with the material passing under the platen. roll, and moving the embossing roll at a peripheral speed difi'ering from the linear speed of the material in an amount suflicient to compensate for the flow or creep of the material being embossed and thus maintain a desired. relationship between the patternof the material and the embossed pattern.

4. In the method of embossing patterned linoleum or the like with a platen roll and a pattern embossing roll, the steps consisting in rotating the rolls and feeding the linoleum thereto, maintaining the rolls'in embossing relation and thereby forcing the patterned portion of the embossing roll into the linoleum or the like and effecting a flowor creep of-the material, and, while the emv bossing is being carried out and the flow or creep is thereby arising, effecting a differential movement between the peripheral speeds of the embossin and platen rolls to compensate for such ow or creep, and thus mainpattern of thematerial and the embossed linoleum. 5

5. In the method of embossing patterned linoleum or the. like with a platen roll and an taining a desired relationship between the embossing roll having upstanding portions thereon effective for indenting the linoleum, the steps consisting in rotating the rolls in embossing relationship and feeding smooth- 5 faced linoleum thereto, thereby to force the patterned portion of the embossing roll into the linoleum or the like, and, while the emhossing is being carried out and a flow or creep of the material is thus being caused, adjusting the relative peripheral speeds of the two rolls so as to obtain a desired mijusted difierential movement between such peripheral speeds, EI1& thereby maintaining the patterned portion of the embossing roll in proper registration with the pattern of the material.

testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

M. GEORGE.

IF. KAUFMAN. 

